Smart News Science

Why Eye Contact Makes You Squirm

Catching someone else's eye makes us more self conscious about our bodies

September 30, 2014

Children wade through flood waters in northern India in July 2013.

Which of 2013’s Many Natural Disasters Can We Blame on Climate Change?

The ongoing California drought may, or may not, be due to climate change

September 30, 2014

Wildlife Around the World Has Declined by About 50 Percent Since 1970

Fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are disappearing quickly

September 30, 2014

Scientists Are Sneaking Bob Dylan Lyrics Into Their Writing

Everyone likes goofy intra-office rivalries, even scientists

September 29, 2014

This Is How the Milky Way Will End

A computer simulation shows how the Milky Way will collide with Andromeda

September 26, 2014

The USDA Approved a New GM Crop to Deal With Problems Created by the Old GM Crops

Weeds became resistant to the herbicide partner of older genetically modified crops

September 25, 2014

Scientists Plan to Kill Off the American West's Tumbleweeds

Two species of fungus from Russia could be the bane of America's tumbleweed

September 25, 2014

An Artist's rendition of HAT-P-11b crossing in front of it's star

Water Vapor Found on Small, Cloudless, Hot Planet

NASA announced yesterday that water vapor had been detected on exoplanet HAT-P-11b

September 25, 2014

People Get Separation Anxiety When Parted From Their Phones

Separating college students from their smartphones can cause anxiety, especially for those who use their phones a lot

September 25, 2014

How Bird Migrations Show Up Beautifully on Doppler Radar

Large groups of birds taking off around sunset typically show up as circles that grow and disperse

September 24, 2014

A capture of the map showing how various countries' populations may be affected by sea level rise. For the full experience see the interactive infographic at the

As Many As 3 Million Americans Could Soon Be Threatened by Sea Level Rise

Across the world, 650 million people could be at risk

September 24, 2014

The Mangalyaan orbiter back when it was still on the ground.

India's Space Agency Made It to Mars on the First Try

India's Mangalyaan orbiter dropped into orbit around Mars last night

September 24, 2014

Norway Is Paying Liberia To Stop Deforestation

Norway is promising Liberia $150 million to stop cutting down trees by 2020

September 24, 2014

Thousands of Strange Green Balls Appeared Overnight on a Beach in Australia

Scientists believe that the balls are actually extremely rare algae congregations called marimo

September 23, 2014

Why We Shouldn't Worry About Growing Plants With Recycled Water

Trace amounts of common pharmaceuticals show up in crops grown with recycled water, but not as much as you'd think

September 22, 2014

Waking Up During Anesthesia Can Have Long-Lasting Effects

Half of people who reported waking up from anesthesia suffered lasting psychological trauma

September 22, 2014

A scanning electron micrograph image of red and white blood cells.

Scientists Have Basically No Idea How Many Cells Are in the Human Body

Is it 5 trillion or 500 trillion? Who knows.

September 22, 2014

An artist's conception of MAVEN in orbit around Mars

Mars Just Got a New Robotic Explorer

NASA's MAVEN orbiter dropped into orbit last night

September 22, 2014